Letter to the Editor: Need youth recreation improvement

I spoke to the Carbon County Commission on Feb. 7 and would like to share this with the public.

I would like the commission to understand that I am here to open some discussions to improve our county recreation youth programs.

What I would like to talk about goes deeper than the cost of football registration. Many people have voiced their opinions about the lack of a good recreation program for the youth of our community. A lot of people have also commented that they have noticed other communities having much more participation and better facilities than Carbon County. Others have said that the only way to have a good youth league is to start one of their own, which now is happening more frequently.

Some people may ask why sports, games or recreation is important. With the alarming increase in childhood obesity and diabetes we need to keep our children more active. It is also a proven fact that kids who participate in organized events are less likely to get involved in drugs and other criminal acts. The life lessons that can be learned from participating include teamwork, discipline, work ethic and determination among others. Many people have talked about the mentoring they received from coaches like Jackson Jewkes, Paul Dupin and Phil Howa, and how these coaches affected their lives.

It is my opinion that with better youth programs, more community support and with a winning attitude, we can help our high school age kids be more successful and increase our community pride. If we are complacent we fail to give them a chance to be winners.

I challenge the commission to do whatever it takes to better the recreation programs for the youth of our community. If it takes more funding, personnel or restructuring, I and many others feel it will be well worth the investment in our kid's future.

We all share the obligation to give the youth of our community the best chance possible to succeed in life.

Basically we can do a better job with our youth recreation programs and need to plan for the future of our children.